Learn Chinese in China

CLI empowers students to learn Chinese and connect with China.

The Chinese Language Institute, based in scenic Guilin, China, delivers immersive Chinese language programs at the CLI Center, expert-led travel seminars throughout China, and print and online learning resources for students worldwide.
close up of students face
“I appreciate CLI’s size, flexibility, and ability to accommodate students. Because it is a small community, it is easy to build relationships with the teachers and staff. I truly felt at home in Guilin.”
~ Daniel Del Bosque, Yale University
Our Programs

Chinese Language and Culture Programs

Chinese Language Institute
The Chinese Language Institute

CLI at a Glance

Community in Guilin

Meet the CLI Team

Bradford Fried 费博拉

Bradford Fried 费博拉

Co-Founder & Academic Director
Bradford is the longest serving foreign professor at Guangxi Normal University, CLI’s university partner. In 2012, he was named the university’s director of international staff, making him one of a select few American university administrators in China. He holds an MA in teaching Chinese from GXNU and is completing his PhD in education at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Sunny Xu 许云花

Sunny Xu 许云花

Head of Teaching Staff
Sunny joined the CLI team in 2010 as one of the school’s first Chinese teachers. In her decade-plus since, she has contributed to nearly every aspect of CLI's development. Over the years, Sunny has traveled extensively in her role at CLI, including stints at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC and with the China Fieldwork Semester in Yunnan. Sunny holds an MA in Teaching Chinese from GXNU.
Dayong 大勇

Dayong 大勇

Mandarin Instructor
Dayong joined the team in the summer of 2009 and is CLI’s longest-serving Chinese teacher. He is from Harbin (哈尔滨), capital city of China’s chilly northeastern province of Heilongjiang (黑龙江). When asked to produce a bio for the CLI homepage, Dayong said, “At CLI, I’ve learned that the world is a big place, and every single person in it can be your teacher in some way.” Now in 2024, he remains one of CLI's most active Chinese teachers.
Anias Stambolis-D’Agostino 昕梅

Anias Stambolis-D’Agostino 昕梅

Program Director
After a summer in the coastal city of Qingdao, Anias vowed to return to the Middle Kingdom to improve her language skills and deepen her understanding of contemporary Chinese society. She moved to Guilin with CLI’s Teach in China program in 2016 and joined the team as Program Manager in 2017. As of this writing in 2024, Anias resides in Tainan, Taiwan, where she leads CLI’s Taiwan expansion. Anias is fluent in Chinese.
Summer Liu 刘春平

Summer Liu 刘春平

Student Activities Manager
After earning her MA in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, Summer began her career at China’s prestigious Hanban (汉办), the parent organization of the Confucius Institute, and taught Chinese at Thailand’s Ministry of Education. Fortunately for CLI, Summer’s next move was to return to her hometown of Guilin and join the CLI team as Student Activities Manager, where she organizes the out-of-class components of CLI’s language learning system.
CLI Resource Library

Utilize Our Growing Library of Free Chinese Learning Resources

A project launched in 2020, CLI's Resource Library provides effective and easy-to-use Chinese language and culture learning resources to students worldwide. Our library is always growing, with new articles and learning tools published every week. We invite you to delve deeper into the world of Chinese language and culture.

Resource Library
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Testimonials

Insight from Students

"Most Beautiful Under Heaven"

Welcome to Guilin

Welcome to Guilin

Nestled along the banks of the Li River, speckled with tens of thousands of karst peaks, and bustling with the arts, customs, and songs of southern China’s thriving ethnic minority groups, Guilin is a destination like no other.

The people, serene landscape, ease of transportation — the list goes on. Yet at CLI, we tend to view Guilin through the lens of language learning. This is where Guilin really shines: as a place to learn Chinese in China.

panoramic image of guilin china
The Chinese Language Institute

Contact Us

Chinese Language Institute
Chinese Language Institute
At CLI, we are dedicated to helping students discover China and learn Chinese. Reach out to us anytime, day or night, and we’ll respond within two weekdays.